Today the Penn women's lacrosse team will take on the streaking Villanova Wildcats. Fortunately for the Quakers, the Wildcats' streak stands at 13 straight losses.
The Red and Blue are coming off of two straight losses to No. 1 Princeton and No. 12 Dartmouth and should be looking to dominate. While the Quakers should be able to beat up on the Wildcats, nothing is certain.
"If our defense plays like it did at Dartmouth, we should not have a problem beating Villanova," freshman attacker Catherine Wooters said. "We have been working on finishing, and I think the attack is ready to go out and give its best performance yet."
However, Penn (7-7, 3-3 Ivy) is not just looking to beat Villanova (1-13, 0-5 Patriot), as there are more important things at stake in today's game -- such as a winning record and putting a complete game together for the entire 60 minutes.
"Tomorrow is about how we play," Penn coach Karin Brower said. "If we play well we should win handily, but we have to play our game. I will be satisfied with nothing less."
In the Red and Blue's last game, the defense played their best game of the season while the attack struggled to find the goal, scoring a season-low four goals in the game.
While strong defense alone should be enough to propel the Quakers to victory, the Red and Blue are looking for more than a win, they are looking to finish the season on a high note.
"It is important in our game against Villanova that we can play a complete game," sophomore defender Kate Parker said. "This means successfully bringing the ball up the field and finishing out shots."
As the Quakers ready themselves to play their penultimate game of the season, it is tough not to think back upon a season of near victories and could-have -beens.
"I'm glad we beat two teams we have never beaten before" Brower said, referring to the Quakers' victories over Temple and Cornell. "I would have loved to have beaten Penn State and Dartmouth, but the girls played so well all year. This season we were so close. Each year we get a step closer and I hope next year we can finally break out."
As they are graduating only one senior in Lindsey Cassidy, the Quakers could be set up to have a watershed season next year. Injured sophomore standout Emily Cochran will be back, the Quakers have one of their best recruiting classes and, most importantly, the players have come together as a team.
However, before the Quakers can set their sights on next year, they must close out the season strong, and this means beating the Wildcats tonight.
